Dr. Opal Lee, 97, known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth” for her role in helping make June 19 a federally-recognized holiday, along with her granddaughter Mrs. Dione Sims, will be the featured speakers at an event to celebrate New Mexico’s first Black giving circle on May 29 from 5:30-7:30 PM at the St. Francis Auditorium in Santa Fe, just a short drive from Albuquerque. Presented by the Santa Fe Community Foundation, attendance to the event will be free but registration is required by May 20.
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The event will not only kick off celebrations for the upcoming Juneteenth holiday, but it will also introduce Santa Fe Community Foundation’s newest giving circle, Empower! Black Futures Community Fund, which is dedicated to supporting Black life, arts, and culture across New Mexico.
Dr. Lee, a social impact leader of great renown, will be visiting New Mexico for the first time to share her family’s journey through tragedy to victory and discuss the significance of Juneteenth in American history. Along with her granddaughter, Mrs. Dione Sims, Dr. Lee will bring a message of hope survival, and activism.
In 1939, Lee’s parents bought a house in a mostly white area of Fort Worth, Texas. On June 19 of that year, when Lee was just 12 years old, a mob vandalized and burned her family’s home. Reflecting on this hate crime, Lee says, “The fact that it happened on the 19th day of June has spurred me to make people understand that Juneteenth is not just a festival.”
Dr. Lee comes to New Mexico at the invitation of the Santa Fe Community Foundation to celebrate its newest statewide giving circle, the Empower! Black Futures Community Fund, which was founded in 2023 to support Black New Mexicans through grantmaking and legacy building. The Foundation recently announced the fund’s inaugural advisory committee members, who include Raashan Ahmad as chair, Hakim Bellamy, Rich Brown, Michael Davis, Shani Harvie, Bettye Kearse, Simesha McEachern, Neema Pickett, and SPAC3.
On the opportunity to bring Dr. Lee to New Mexico, advisory committee chair, Raashan Ahmad says, “The fight that Dr. Lee has led her entire life for the understanding and recognition of Juneteenth is nothing less than heroic. I am humbled and excited to have the opportunity to meet this foundational civil rights leader. I hope many New Mexicans will make time to hear her speak.”
Sandra Session-Robertson, Vice President of Development & Donor Relations at the Santa Fe Community Foundation, adds, “I can think of no better honor than to host the woman whose perseverance over the years has made possible this national day of recognition as we introduce this important fund to the community. Both Dr. Lee and her granddaughter are deeply aligned with the fund’s mission of supporting Black life, arts, and culture in New Mexico.”
About the Empower! Black Futures Community Fund
The Empower! Black Futures Community Fund, formerly known as the Earthseed Community Fund, was established in 2023 by the Santa Fe Community Foundation and Earthseed Black Arts Alliance. The Empower! Black Futures Community Fund is an identity-based giving circle dedicated to supporting Black life, arts, and culture in New Mexico. Contributions to the fund will help seed its permanent endowment, which will grow over time to ensure sustained support of Black causes in New Mexico in perpetuity.
For more information about the event, go to the Santa Fe Community Foundation.
